Enterprising people like situations that involve using resources for personal or corporate economic gain. Such people may have an opportunistic frame of mind, and like commerce, trade and making deals. Some are drawn to sales and marketing occupations. Many will eventually end up owning their own business, or managing a section in larger organisations. They tend to be very goal-oriented, and work best when focused on a target. Some have an entrepreneurial inclination.

Occupation Details

Ophthalmologist

Education Most of these occupations require post-graduate qualifications. For example, they may require a masters degree, and some require a Ph.D., or M.D.

Related Experience Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience plus specialist training to be able to do their job.

Job Training Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Job Zone Examples These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. They may also require very specialist skills. Very advanced communication and organisational skills are required. Examples include lawyers, aerospace engineers, wildlife biologists, school psychologists, surgeons, treasurers, and most scientists.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of eye abnormalities and diseases. Most Ophthalmologists are based in hospitals. They provide medical treatment or surgical procedures as indicated.

Tasks & Activities

The following is a list of the most commonly reported tasks and activities for this occupation

The following is a list of the five most commonly reported knowledge areas for this occupation.

Medicine and Dentistry: Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Biology: Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

The following is a list of the most commonly reported skills used in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Entry Routes

A specialist is a doctor who is certified to practise independently in a specific area of medicine (eg Ophthalmology). A specialist has completed all of their postgraduate training and does not require supervision by a more senior doctor. It can take about 15 years to become a specialist. The career pathway is as follows:

1. Medical Degree - a five to six-year undergraduate medical degree programme at one of the six medical schools in Ireland.

2. Internship - newly graduated doctors spend 12 months training in hospitals as an Intern (equivalent to ‘house officer’ in some jurisdictions), working as part of a team with nurses and experienced doctors, and earning their first salary as a doctor.

The intern year is structured so that a doctor can experience a variety of medical specialties; at least three months must be spent in general Medicine and at least three months in general Surgery. Interns can also spend 2 – 4 months in:

Emergency Medicine

General Practice

Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Paediatrics

Psychiatry

Anaesthesia (to include perioperative medicine)

Radiology

This variety helps the intern decide which area of medicine they want to continue training in. In Ireland, the Medical Council oversees the intern year.

3. Basic Specialist Training - Towards the end of the intern year, a doctor must choose an area of medicine to continue training in. The next stage of training is Basic Specialist Training (BST).

4. Registrar Training - After BST most doctors want to progress to Higher Specialist Training (HST). Entry to HST is very competitive. Some doctors may need to wait for a year or two before they either meet all of the entry criteria (e.g. passing postgraduate exams) or are successful at interview.

In RCPI, the Registrar Training Programme (RTP) is designed for doctors who want to continue their training at registrar level with a view to progressing on to HST.

5. Higher Specialist Training (HST) - is designed to bring a doctor’s skills up to the standard required for independent, specialist practice. HST takes four to six years to complete, depending on the specialty. During this time a doctor works as a Specialist Registrar (SpR). On satisfactory completion of HST, SpRs receive a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion of Specialist Training (CSCST) which allows them to enter the Specialist Division of the Medical Council.

6. Consultant - Once a doctor is on the Specialist Division of the Register with the Medical Council they are eligible to apply for consultant posts. However is not always easy to get into these highly-regarded positions. With the exception of GPs (General Practitioners), specialists in Ireland are generally referred to as ‘consultants’.

Many doctors spend some time working abroad and building up their portfolio of research, audits and publications before becoming a consultant.

Career Guidance

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